Mio had such a great time at the Water Mine last year that we definitely wanted to take her again this summer. We took the girls on Sunday, July 6th for some great splashin’ fun in the sun!
Water Mine with the Girls
pool
Viva Vienna! 2014
Vienna had its annual Viva Vienna! festival on Memorial Day weekend, and since Mio had such a great time going last year, we spent a couple hours of our Saturday morning there, going on the rides and enjoying some of the food before it got too crowded and hot. Mio could go on a lot more rides this year because she met the height requirement for most of the rides — our sheet of tickets went fast with all the rides she wanted to go on!
After coming home from Viva Vienna!, Mio spent the afternoon playing in the wading pool.
First Mother’s Day as a Mama of Two
Sunday was my first Mother’s Day as mommy to two girls! With Mirei coming into our lives this year, I felt twice as lucky to get to be a mama to our precious daughters. It actually turned out to be a really relaxing, lovely day… the girls were both happy and sweet all day, there was no crying from either of them, and it was so peaceful and just perfect — a rarity when you’re a parent of two! If only every day could be like this!
In the afternoon, Dan really wanted to take Mio back to the pool because she’s been talking about it for a while, and my sister volunteered to watch Mirei while we took Mio. Mio really enjoyed feeling like an only child again and getting all the attention from both Mommy and Daddy! She was so over-the-moon-happy that at one point she started enthusiastically hugging and kissing both of us, saying “I love you Mommy! I love you Daddy!” (which she rarely says unless we say it first). It was such a sweet moment and really made my Mother’s Day! I know adjusting to sharing our attention with Mirei has not been easy for Mio, so I’m glad that we could finally give her some much-needed one-on-one time with us.
Mio’s good mood continued on through dinnertime, when we picked up Mirei and went out to get some Burmese food. Mirei slept through the whole dinner, and these words were on repeat from Mio’s mouth. (It’s funny because she almost looks intoxicated and woozy from all the happiness she felt that day!)
It really was just the perfect day… This may have been my favorite Mother’s Day yet! 🙂
First Pool Visit This Year!
On Sunday afternoon, we took Mio and Mirei to the pool for the first time this year. Mio still remembers all the fun she had at the water park and pools last summer, and she’s been saying “Go to waterpark!” for a couple months now. We went to Cub Run RECenter, as they have an indoor pool with a water slide and play area for kids. Mio had so much fun splashing around that she was reluctant to leave at the end!
Mio splashing around as soon as we got to the pool:
Mio going down the water slide:
Wading around with Daddy:
We’re looking forward to more visits to the pool and to the water park as the weather gets warmer!
Swimming Lessons!
Dan and I have always wanted to start our children early on swimming lessons, as swimming is such a valuable survival skill and the earlier kids learn, the better! I think I got my first swimming lesson at 7 or so, which is pretty late, and my swimming skills are still mediocre at best… My siblings are kind of in the same boat, although some are slightly better than me. Dan is a really good swimmer, and is much more comfortable in the water. We want to make sure Mio takes after Daddy and not after me!
As soon as summer registration opened for programs at the local rec center, I signed Mio up for Toddler & Me swimming classes. I quickly came to learn that these are much-coveted spots by parents and they fill up super fast! The June classes were already full by the first hour on the first day of registration, so I had put Mio on a waiting list just in case a spot opened up and also signed her up for July classes. June passed and no spots opened, so we just waited until this month’s classes. The Saturday Toddler & Me classes are for half an hour every Saturday for four weeks, and requires an adult to accompany the child. During the class, the kids get used to the water, and practice basic swimming poses and strokes while being held by their parent. It’s a great start to introduce your child to the water, get past any fears and make them comfortable and ready to swim. There were definitely one or two kids who were terrified and screaming their head off in the water, but most kids seemed to do just fine. Mio was a little scared and apprehensive at moments when she had to lie flat against the water, as she doesn’t like getting water in her ears, but overall she did great and seemed to really enjoy the swimming lessons!
Here’s a compilation of video clips that I took on my phone during Mio’s first swimming lesson!
Afterwards, we got together with our friends Pat and Theo and their adorable girls at Fairfax Corner for lunch and an afternoon of fun in the fountain and pottery painting!
